House plants

Jungle Animals

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Aloe and Jungle Animals in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

This months assignment for Urban Jungle Bloggers was to combine plants with animals in ones home-jungle. Quite fun actually.

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Parrot under the fig tree. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

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Bird in the fig tree. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

Notice the fig under the bird? It is still there and I am waiting for it to get ripe – if it ever gets ripe. I’ve never had figs before.

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Jungle Animals. In the kitchen window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The bird flew onwards to the kitchen and landed in one of the orchids. In the air is a flock of pink bird, originally from Israel.

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Jungle Animals in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The small bird (originally a xmas decoration that I kept in the plants, simple but decorative) also liked to be in the aloe vera and communicate with the big bird there.

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Little bird in the white orchid. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Had to spread out the taking pictures over two days as the light has been extremely bad due to bad weather outside and light came and went.

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Bird in the aloe vera. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

This bird (whatever kind it is) suits the aloe vera.

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In the hanging plant in the bedroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The small bird moved on to the hanging plant in the bedroom.

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Bird in the olive tree.Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

There is another kind of bird (with a hat) in the small olive tree in the bedroom. That one is permanently there.

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Dragonvase in the bedroom. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

In the bedroom there is a dragon in the jungle.

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Parrot in the jungle. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The parrot has been there as well.

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Dog and owl in the bedroom jungle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Bulldog and owl can also be seen there. The wooden owl to the left has a smaller wooden owl inside it. It comes from Sicily (or was it Greece?). The bulldog is ceramics by Lisa Larson, a famous Swedish potter.

Notice the November-cactus in the background. It is flowering time again. Last time was at the beginning of October. The thorny cactus had several of its small kids removed today. Will get proper soil for it and plant the cactus-babies and see if they will grow. The big one gets several babies every year. I usually just remove them and throw them away. This time I thought I would try to plant them.

Meanwhile the cats (from Sicily) and the bulldog (from Sweden) will protect the jungle.

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Cats and dog and cactus. Photos: ©nini.tjader.2016

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Posted by nini in House plants, Interior Design, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Kitchen Greens

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Kitchen greens. My best windows for greens are my kitchen windows. There is two of them. One facing south, one facing west.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

This is my green corner. The light and airiness of it is what I enjoy here.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The Ikea BITTERGURKA hanging planter has become a favorite of mine. I’ve got two of them. One hanging under the other. Both hanging on a curtain rod. Only problem is when the plants become too big and need more soil to be healthy. You then have to move them to some other planter. The hanging plant to the left (I have no idea what it is or its name) used to live in the top planter but couldn’t stay there for obvious reasons…

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The green and white plant at the top planter probably would need to be moved to its own planter too, but so far it is OK there. One of the plants in the bottom one also would need moving to larger quarters.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

My big aloe vera has baby-plants again. Two. This is the third time. One batch of baby plants have moved to my neighbor and is growing fast there. Another batch of baby plants have moved into town to my friend Ulla and seem to feel good there too.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

The baby plants coming up now I will keep for myself and start a new, bigger one.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In the corner behind the aloe vera you see one of my six orchids. They all started blooming again just recently after an un-normally short period of rest. My orchids love my kitchen windows.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Here you can see two more of my orchids. One flowering, one with buds.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

During winter the blinds in the kitchen windows are kept all the way up to provide as much light as possible for the plants. And so is the semi-transparent blind which in the summer is halfway down to protect the plants from too much sun. The above is a west facing window.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

My oxalis plant is kept on the kitchen table, slightly in from the windows. I noticed at some point that it didn’t like to get too much light. I hope it will get more leaves come spring and summer. They are quite few presently, but rather large.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In the south facing window I have a rosemary plant which, too my surprise, is still alive and growing. Usually my rosemary plants die when winter comes (I keep it outside in the warmer season). This is strong and living though. I cut it regularly and use it finally chopped on oven baked potatoes. Delicious.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Above one of my orchids, Flowers stems on their way. This orchid is my oldest orchid. It will get white flowers with lilac edges. It grows a bit too much horizontally and always risk to fall off the window ledge.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

This plant is fake though… The cage is too small to have any serious plants in it. I bought the cage with the mini planter at a garden fair last spring. It came with a tiny violet plant in it which fast became too big to keep there. The little bird of feathers originally is a Xmas decoration but I thought it suits sitting on the cage.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I don’t only have plants hanging on the curtain rod in the kitchen. I also keep the open baskets with onions and apples there.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

Yes, I have curtain rods. But I stopped using them for curtains long ago and replaced the curtains with my large climbing plant instead (a philodendron of some sort). It frames the window very well and is now well on its way over to the second window as well. Here too all the blinds are all the way up for the dark season. Come spring and summer the semi-transparent blind goes half-way down to protect the plants. The above is the south facing window.

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Kitchen greens. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

The planter for the climbing philodendron stands on the floor on a stand that have wheels. This plant isn’t particularly thirsty but the planter is an old Ikea self-watering planter. Black.

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

I love my green corner of the kitchen. The piedestal with the amaryllis in the middle of the image above goes when the last amaryllis have died (which won’t be long now).

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Kitchen greens. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2016

In the below image you see all my kitchen greens at the same time. Ought to have removed the duster from the 5th chair before shooting the picture….At least there is less junk on the table than usual. Kitchen tables have a tendency to collect junk…

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Kitchen greens. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2016

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Posted by nini in decoration, Flowers, House plants, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 5 comments

Planty Wishes for 2016

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The livingroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Planty wishes for 2016! This is my livingroom window presently. The big fig-tree. I hope it will get bigger and that its three (3) figs will eventually get ripe. I also hope that my stephanotis floribunda (I’ve got two, one hanging on the curtain-rod) will grow and get flowers again. I might have to replant it in fresh soils though some time in February.

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The livingroomwindow 2015. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The lamp on the on the bench in front of the livingroom-window i won exactly one year ago in a competition on a blog I follow. It has finally found its perfect place here. The fig tree has a special flower-lamp to give it extra light. On the wall to the left I have hung a tall and thin mirror to get more light into the livingroom. In this case, it gives more light to the plants.

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Bedroomwindow. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2015

In the bedroom I made a small change. I moved the “gullranka” (Epipremnum aureum) from hanging in the window on the curtain rod to the top of the wardrobe in the background. One of my planty wishes for 2016 is that the two white pelargonias I keep here will survive until spring and get bigger. It is a very good sort. They made it over the previous winter and became really nice outside over the summer, despite it being a lousy summer.

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On the top of the wardrobe. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In my planty wishes for 2016 are that it will survive there and get enough light there. Remains also to remember to climb up and give it water now and then…

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Olivetree in the bedroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I also wish that the small olive tree in the bedroom window will grow and bloom again. It bloomed this year, but the flowers fell off after a day or two. No olives… I keep the olive tree outside on the patio over the warm season. The rest of the year it lives indoors.

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Cactus in the bedroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My smallest (not so small any more) cactus is growing. I wish it will get flowers again in the spring as it did this year. It still looks healthy, but I know it doesn’t get flowers every year. It all depends on light conditions and room temperature.

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Cactus in the bedroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My bigger cactus keep getting babies on it. I use to pick them off now and then. It gets too crowded in the pot. I might save one of two tand start a new cactus-plantation. I see one there with roots hanging from it. There is also a dried out flowerbud on it that will never become a flower that needs to be removed.

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Figtree in the livingroom. Photo:@nini.tjader.2015

In the kitchen I just wish that all my plants will survive the winter and live into spring and the lighter season that is coming. The big amaryllis will not, it has soon seen its end. These are the last flowers on the red one. The white one died the other day. Another plant has also disappeared in the kitchen, the hanging plant that used to be on the black piedestal where the amaryllis now stand, tje Australian Violet. Had to discard it.

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Kitchenplants. PHoto: ©nini.tjader.2015

Some of the hanging plants need to get larger pots eventually. Question is, where to hang them then? Wish I will find a place for them. Might be possible in the leftside kitchen window when the star comes down.

Essentially, my planty wishes for 2016 is that the plants I have now will all survive the winter. With the darkness we have over winter, that is always an open question, will they live or will they die…

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My kitchenwindows. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in House plants, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

My red and white amaryllis 2015

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My red and white amaryllis 2015. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Amaryllis are beautiful flowers. I love amaryllis. Every year around this time of the year I try to have at least one amaryllis, usually red. Or one read and one white. Discovered the white amaryllis just last year. I then fell in love in one white kind called Alfresco. I have one of those also this year. And four red ones called Merry Christmas. They have the most beautiful flowers. Fascinating to look close at. Here is a bunch of pictures of this years amaryllis’.

They will not last over Christmas. I enjoy them now, standing on my kitchen table where I can enjoy them each time I sit down there to eat.

Click on an image to see a larger version and to get the possibility to move one image at the time.

Posted by nini in decoration, Flowers, House plants, 0 comments

In the kitchen

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Plants in one of my kitchenwindows. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2015

The above is one of my kitchen windows. My hanging plants there are getting big.

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Kitchenwindow November 11th 2015. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On November 11th the other kitchenwindow looked like this. And the amaryllis on the table were all very small them. Since the light in the window had a sudden death and could no longer be lit so I removed it.

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Kitchenwindows 2015-11-11. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The two windows are cornered to each other which give real good light in the kitchen.

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Oxalis on the kitchentable. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My oxalis has been moving around from one to the other and is now on the kitchentable. Seems that is the best place for it. For a while there I thought it was dying. Since it moved to the table, a bit into the kitchen from the windows, it came to life again.

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On the kitchentable. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Above some of the items kept on the kitchentable.

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On the kitchentable. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Some more items on the kitchen table… The radio is partly giving up. It has a rechargeable non-removable batteri, which enabled it to be move from here to elsewhere. It has stopped recharging the batteri and now only functions with the electricity cord put into the wall. No more radio in the bathroom.

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Oranges on the kitchentable. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On and off there is also a bowl of oranges, or grape-fruit, or clementines on the kitchen table. I have two of those thread bowls. They are excellent for keeping fruit in as they are airy.

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Pasta jars. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I keep my different kinds of pasta – yes, I eat pasta. love pasta – in various glass jars. Pasta is decorative. The jars are kept in an old Billy bookcase I have in the kitchen for cookery books and other stuff that belongs in the kitchen.

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Tea. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My collection of teas are kept on these small shelves from Ikea (they no longer sell them). Well… not only tea. Bottom shelf to the left is a jar with cocoa, and the red one to the right on the same shelf contains regular coffee (which I almost never use nowadays s I use coffee capsules).

Experiment. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Experiment. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In one of the kitchen windows I have an experiment. When we cut the bushes outside the house, I kept some of the sticks we cut off. Wanted to try if I can produce new bushes from them. I know it sometimes works. at this time of the year (winter) the sticks are red. I put them in a vase with water that I change regularly. Now, a few weeks later, one of the sticks got leaves… I see no roots on the sticks yet, but…

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Amaryllis 25th November 2015. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My amaryllis on the kitchentable are growing. Too fast again… The tallest one has started to show its red flower.

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Star in the kitchenwindow. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

As it is the season for stars in the window one of my kitchen windows got the big, white star that I had in the bedroom window last year. No space for it in the bedroom… The light from it when the daylight is gone is nice. I control that with a timer. We need those lights in this dark season.

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Star in the kitchen window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in House plants, kitchen, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 2 comments

#plantshelfie

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Plantshelfie. ©nini.tjader.2015

This is my window in the livingroom, and this is my #plantshelfie. I have a freestanding shelf to house all the plants that go inside over the dark and cold season called winter. It is actually a sideboard.

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Livingroomwindow. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I haven’t filled the entire shelf with plants. Left some space for decorative items. Still, it is a plantshelf, or a plantshelfie (if we speak the language of instagram).

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Decorations in the livingroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The two bubbly candleholders are from Ikea. The vase with a candle inside it is from H&M (but I found it in our wastebins outside). Behind it is a Stephanotis floribunda that I got from neighbours that moved north and didn’t want to bring the plants. I have two now. From the beginning they were four. I gave one to my neighbour, Gustavs owner, and one to my friend Ulla.I really didn’t need four of them.

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Plantshelfie… Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Apart from the Stephanotis floribunda, the fig tree now lives on this shelf. Since it got inside into to the indoor warmth it has begun to sprout figs. Several actually. AsI don’t have a cool and dark place to keep the fig tree over the winter, I instead choose to give it light in the warm livingroom. I’ve placed a special plant-light in the pot. It seems to like that and has grown quite some since it got inside.

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Plants in the livingroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Behind the Stephanotis floribunda is a long pot with cuttings from the Mårbacka pelargonia. Impossible to see them in the picture, but they are there. Three of them. Comes from the two Mårbacka pelargonias I placed on the windowsill over the winter and had to cut down when I took them inside.

Hanging in the window is the second Stephanotis floribunda. Behind the curtain is my biggest and oldest olivetree which also spends the summer outside. since it got inside a couple of weeks ago it grew some 20 cms… So had to cut it to keep size back.

Behind the candleholders is my new quite big corokia cotoneaster (zigzagbush). That one lives inside the year around.

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Plants in the livingroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Some of the outside plants are placed in the bedroom. No place on the windowsill – where the smaller olivetree lives together with two cactus plants – but on the chest of drawers. There are two white pelargonias and the November cactus. All of them living outside in the warm season. They get extra light from the fluorescent lamp, placed on a higher chest of drawers. They need the extra light. This spot is otherwise too dark.

Remains to be seen how many of these plants survive the winter inside. The pelargonias will look tired and ugly for a while, but they usually come to life and come back some time by the end February.

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Plants in the bedroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in House plants, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 2 comments

Plants and Flowers

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Plants and flowers. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The above is from my kitchen. The plants and flowers are taking over my kitchen windows this time of the year. And part of the table on and off.

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Plants and flowers in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I normally do not cut off flowers either from the garden or from plants. I usually think they look the best where they grow and not cut off.

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Plants and flowers in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

This time of the year though it is necessary sometimes to cut off flowers. It is getting cold outside (-1C° this morning) and the pelargonias die when the temperature drops to under 0C°.

Their mother plants had to be cut off when moved inside as they were too tall and wide to get placed on the window sill in the livingroom. Some of the cuttings have been planted into soil and with a bit of luck they might root themselves and survice.  I doubt the cuttings with the flowers will sprout roots, but you never know… I know you are supposed to cut off all flowers of pelargonias if you want them to get roots.

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Plants and flowers in the kitchen. Photo. ©nini.tjader.2015

I’ve just made space for the flowers in the window instead of on the table (by cutting off all basil leaves from the basil plant and freezing the leaves and thereby getting rid of one pot in the window).

To the right of the pelargonia flowers (the pelargonia is called “Mårbacka”) is my huge hanging Australian Violet, which also has been moved inside. That one too does not survive in frosty weather. It is full of flowers. If it survives the winter indoors? We will see. It started its life as an indoor plant. If I get company I have to temporarily move the violet away from the window where it gets the most light as one of the chairs at the table cannot be used if it is there…

Below the present state of parts of my kitchen windows.

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Plants in the kitchenwindows. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in Flowers, House plants, kitchen, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Plants & Art

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Plants & Art. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Got that fun topic “Plants & Art” from Urban Jungle Bloggers for September. I use to participate in the monthly topics as it is fun to see what you can do for a certain topic. This one was hard though.

Art above are a combination of five aquarelles I’ve done and some prints.

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Plants & Art. Corokia Cotoneaster, zigzag bush. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Why was it hard? Because I normally do not combine plants with art. I simply do not have the space for it or the right light for the plants where the art is. The above two pictures are from my livingroom. Having a plant in that location above would be risky. Could easily be run into and fall to the floor… (or into the sofa).

Aquarelle in the background by me.

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Plants & Art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

So I faked it. Placed the plants near to the art where the art is. In locations where I would never normally put plants. The above picture and the following are shot in the bedroom. Unfortunately a day with very little light outside so the light for shooting pictures were not as good as I would have wished.

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Plants & Art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

It was fun though to experiment and see how different combinations turned out. This location is way too dark though for any plant to survive there.

Pictures on the wall are one aquarelle by my father to the right, and a large print to the left that I bought at Ikea decades ago. So far the print has seen three different bedrooms. I want to be able to see it from the bed. The small thing on the wall is a souvenir from Greece, as are the greek ceramic houses and the figure on the shelf.

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Plants & art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Some things were better looking than others. The cactus definitely looks better in its regular location in the bedroom window. The small olive tree – just moved inside from the patio – looks OK here though. But too dark for it to survive here. It goes back to the bedroom window.

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Plants & art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Plants & Art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Plants & Art Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Plants & Art. To the left a Lisa Larsson ceramic dog. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

It was a fun exercise though. Plants are now back in their regular locations, and so are the various details used in the exercise. I guess this is how professional interior designers work when setting up different looks for a photo shoot.

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Posted by nini in Art and Drawings, bedroom, Ceramics, decoration, Furniture and Decoration, House plants, Interior Design, livingroom, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Season is nearly over for the patioplants

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Patioplants, August 2015 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The season is nearly over for the patioplants for this year.

I’ve started to move some of the plants inside. Night temperatures are down to around +7C° lately. Still around 17C° in the day though and even some sun. You can feel that autumn is approaching. A few days more of warmth has been promised, but you never know when it is over for the season.

The fig tree is still out there. It has grown a lot since I bought it and become really big already. And beautiful. I always loved fig trees. Both in nature and as house plants. It won’t be long now until it moves inside. Keeping an eye on the weather forecasts.

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Patioplants, August 2015 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The two olivetrees (first picture)and the three chili plants (one not pictured here) have moved inside, but the pelargonias are still there. Noticed today that the smaller olive tree actually is blooming.

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Patioplants, August 2015

There are still about 8 tomatoes to ripen (I’ve eaten 22 from that tomato plant this season) on the tomato plant in the background. Will they make it? That huge, pink, Mårbacka pelargonia… I have no idea where I can place it inside. Getting pelargonias to survive over winter to the next year is always a problem. I managed last year to this, but…

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Patioplants August 2015 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My jungle is slowly diminishing as the plants that need to be inside move inside. These pictures are the last ones with all the plants present out there.

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Patioplants, August 2015 Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

There are of course plants that will not be moved inside (like the red pelargonias). But my old, large November cactus is already inside (and continue to bloom).

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November cactus on the railing. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in Flowers, Garden and Nature, House plants, Outside, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

The new sideboard

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The new sideboard. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The new sideboard arrived and was collected by the middle of this week. Now assembled and put in its place. Assembly was a bit tricky. Took about an hour instead of the promised 15 minutes… Plants can now move in from outside on the patio.

Under the sideboard I keep the peanuts for the birds and some garden utensils that cannot be kept outside when it rains. You normally don’t see those things except in this angle.

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Livingroom window with new sideboard. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

So far no plants have moved in onto the sideboard. The corokia cotoneaster (also called zigzag-plant) is there at the end of the sideboard instead of on the white piedestal it stood on before. (The piedestal has moved back to the kitchen and has the huge aloe on it). One of the stephanotis (doftranka, Stephanotis floribunda)in the picture I gave to Ulla on Friday. Now only two remain. I got four (4) from Lasse & Camilla when they moved back to Umeå. One I gave to my neighbor some time ago, and now I am down to two for myself. That is quite enough. One of them hangs in an ampel in the window.

Any day now I will move inside those plants that are unfit for cold nights and winter. Already moved the November cactus and the smallest olive tree into the bedroom window. The figtree and the chili plants come next. The figtree has grown about 30 cms since I bought it… Its size will become a problem I think. The original window ledge is double width, but not wide enough for all the plants I need to get inside. That is why I bought the sideboard.

To be continued when the plants are inside and on the sideboard.

livingroomwindow

Livingroomwindow. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in decoration, Furniture and Decoration, House plants, Thoughts, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Plants on my outside place 2015

Photo:©nini.tjader.2015

Photo:©nini.tjader.2015

I’ve got several plants on my outside place 2015. Both inside it and on the railing, hanging on the inside and the outside. On this side (above) are three boxes with regular red pelargonias.

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Vietnamese basil. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the short side of the railing, by the entrance, I have a Vietnames red basil (which the bumblebees love) and a French tarragon.

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French tarragon. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The tarragon actually needs to be moved to the real earth outside before summer is over.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Just inside the entrance I have a pot with red osteospermum (called “stjärnöga” in Swedish). It is a hardy plant that can be put outside early in the spring and lasts and blooms (provided you cut off wilted flowers regularly) until some time in October, or until the frost takes it.

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Basil. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the back of the bench on my outside place I also have plants. One is the regular basil, bought at the supermarket, which at first just stood in glass with water, but has since been replanted in a proper pot with proper soil.

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Thyme. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Just beside the basil is a thyme. Likewise bought in the supermarket and replanted. Bought already some time in the winter. Used in cooking when I want fresh thyme.

Chili

Chili. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

At the time when I took the above picture the chili, grown from seed from Ikea, was also placed here. It started its life inside, in the livingroom window, but moved outside when it got big enough and the weather permitted. I have no idea which kind of chili this is. I have moved it since to another location at the outside place.

rosemary

Rosemary. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Then comes the rosemary. It is hard to make that last inside over the winter and it doesn’t survive the winter outside so in late autumn I usually dry the rosemary to make it last over winter.

fragrance geranium

Fragrance geranium. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Then comes the fragrance geranium (doftpelargon in Swedish). Gets small lilac flowers, has a citrus smell. Is said to hunt away mosquitos – something which could be needed this year.

pansies

Pansies. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Until recently I had a pot of pansies on the outside place on the shelf there. They lasted from March until mid July. Now gone.

mårbacka pelargonia

Mårbacka pelaargonia. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Beside the pansies I then had a large Mårbacka pelargonia. It has since moved into the corner of that shelf and the Ikea-chili has moved onto the shelf.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the table I have a white tobacco plant. It is supposed to give off a nice fragrance in the evening… but I think it has been too cold this summer because I’ve not felt any fragrance from it at all.

novembercactus

November cactus. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Above the table, on the railing is the large and old November cactus. It loves being outside, rain or sun, during the summer season. It also makes it to produce flowers. See the flower buds above?

november cactus

November cactus. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Not yet, but ut will have fully open flowers some time in August. That’s been the result of putting it outside for the last three years. Before that it refused to get flower any time of the year… Now it gets them in August, in October and in April/May. But never in November.

viola hederacea

Viola hederacea. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the railing I also keep a viola hederacea (Australian Violet). It has grown a lot since I got it in March. Then it was indoors. It will return indoors in the autumn when it gets cold. Problem is how to place it as it gets those long creepers which probably would like to crawl aling the ground…

ruccola2jul ruccola20150719

 

On Jul 2nd the first seeds of the ruccola salad started to show. On July 19th it got ready to start eating. I have it on the railing.

olivetree

Olive. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Further inside I’ve got two olive trees, that are indoors in the winter. The thrive outside in the summertime regardless of if the it is sunny or rainy. The above one is the small olivetree that I bought at Ikea last summer.

olivetree

Olivetree. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

And the above one is the old olive tree which I cut down hard last summer as it had grown in all the wrong directions. It is coming back just fine.

chili

Chili. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On raised paletts on the floor in the warmest corner of the outside place I have two chili plants. The above one has lots of fruits at this stage. The other one has just started to flower.

chili

Chili. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

These two chilis are supposed to be medium hot. We will see when they are ready.

mårbacka pelargonia

mårbacka pelargonia

Mårbacka pelargonia. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Behind the chilis there is a large Mårbacka pelargonia, child of the other one on the shelf.

tomatoes

Tomatoes. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

There is also the big tomato plant. Since picture was shot, I’ve eaten the red ones… They are delicious.

figtree

Figtree. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In hat corner also lives the figtree which is new for this year. It will move inside over the winter. It has grown quite a lot since I got it.

lavender

Lavender. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

There used to be a lavender plants there too. I’ve since moved it outside (in its pot) as it looks so sick… If it survives I’ll plant it in one of the flowerbeds.

white pelargonias

White pelargonias. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the wall at the back of the outside place hand three white pelargonias. It was one at the end of last summer and two of them come from that plant. A very good white pelargonia kind which does not get brown flowers when it rains, which most white pelargonias do.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Scaevola aemula Goodeniaceae (Femtunga). Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the plank also hangs a large scaevola aemula goodeniaceae (or Femtunga in Swedish). When I got it was rathe small and not all that good-looking, That changed though when it got a larger pot to hang in with sufficient enough soil in it. It is a thirsty plant.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the wall above the tomatoes and the chilis I have this plant. Also a thirsty thing. It only now started to grow. Have forgotten the name of it (it started with D) but I have that somewhere…

clematis

Clematis. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

On the wall I’ve this year a clematis instead of the cobea I usually have. Thought is that if it manages to survive in the pot over winter, I will not have to change climbing plant every year.

clematis

Clematis. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

clematis

Clematis. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

This one gets large dark blue/lilac flowers with an interesting middle. It only now started to open its flowers.

That is this years plants on my outside place. I will probably keep moving them around as they grow and need sunshine and warmth, but there won’t be any more there now. To see an overview of my outside place, instead of only the plants go here.

red pelargonias

Red pelargonias on the outside. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2014

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Posted by nini in Flowers, House plants, Outside, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Plant Color Pop

orchid, bluewall

White and blue Photo. ©nini.tjader.2015

The #urbanjunglebloggers has a fun task this month called #plantcolorpop. The idea is to place one plant in front of a colored background – or find a similar setup outdoors. Plant color pop. Above is my white orchid placed in front of my dark blue bedroom wall. White against blue is always good. (Yes, I keep little plastic signs in the orchid pots so I know when there are no flowers which one is which one).

yellow orchid,

Yellow and blue. Photo: @nini.tjader.2015

Oops. That is two plants… My yellow orchid and a plant I bought at the super for Easter. Blooms for the second time. Cut off the withered flowers and it started all over again. No, I don’t like yellow against blue even thought it is the colors of the Swedish flag. Or, should I say, particularly as it IS the colors of the Swedish flag…

yelloworchid

Yellow and blue. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

So this is a closer look of the yellow orchid. Flowers on the left still good, flowers to the right on their way to die.

oakplants

Green and blue. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The green of the small oak plants goes well with the blue wall. But the contrast between the colors isn’t strong enough.

pinkorchid

Pink and blue. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

My pink orchid though stands out fine against the blue wall.

pinkorchid

Pink and blue. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

That one is one of my oldest orchids. I love orchids. Easy to care for, needs very little water, blooms for months, always comes back with new stems with flowers after a period of looking really boring. And their flowers are interesting to look at close.

red weed in grass

Red and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I find what nature itself offers more interesting though. This is a red weed of some sort that pops up in our grass about this time of the year (if the mover hasn’t taken them). Interesting flower. Hard to take pictures of as the red is so intense. It also moves in the wind.

daisy

White and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

A few daisies have opened their flowers. There are more to come, but summer is late this year. The white against the green is a good combination.

daisies

White and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Daisies close to the raspberry bushes. The grass is supposed to be green with all this raining, but for some reason it isn’t.

flax

Blue and green, Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The blue of the flax in the yet all green surroundings is also nice. The flax is there because I tested one year to throw out som flax seeds (you know the sort you use in your breakfast smoothie). It is now coming back every year.

tagetes

Red and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The red tagetes with their dark green leaves is striking in the flowerbed. This year was the first time I planted them directly into the earth instead of in a pot. They really are more beautiful this way than in a pot.

njurvinda

Green and red. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Our red walls outside (re-painted last spring) lends itself well to striking color combinations. The above plant is supposed to hang over the edge of the pot. It gets long slings over the season. Does not survive inside or outside over winter. Summer is late as I said… so it hasn’t grown all that much yet.

fig

Green and red. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The new fig tree seems to like it outside against the red wall. This is the warmest and sunniest (provided the sun shines) corner of my outside place. The fig tree is new for this year and it has got several new leaves already, despite the cold and wet weather. Hopefully it will survive inside over winter later.

Million belles.

Red and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I have a large container on the wall on the outside place with red million belles plants in. Love those plants. It is a kind of petunia plant.

pinkrose

Pink and green. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The pink rose (from Ikea) was planted in the larger new flower bed. It came to life there in a different way than when it was in a pot. It even seem to like the raining. The watercress near to it is grown from seeds.

White and green. Photo:©nini.tjader.2015

White and green. Photo:©nini.tjader.2015

The white flowers in the grass come in groups that I do not cut off. I move the grass around them. It started (all by itself) with a few white flowers in the grass about two years ago. Every year now they are coming in larger numbers. That’s nice.

The wild orange poppies that are everywhere in my backside flowerbed – brought there probably by the birds – light up the green surroundings. The few of them that have spread around the corner to the flower bed there are red. More sun there.

This was a fun task to see the plants colors pop against a background.

poppy

Orange Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in decoration, Flowers, Garden and Nature, House plants, Interior Design, Outside, Plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 3 comments

Under cover from the rain

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

It has been raining now since Wednesday night. On and off. Mostly on. So, the outside plants in pots and other containers had to be put under cover, one way or the other, for protection from the rain. As you can see from the photo above, the neighbor balcony provides kind of a roof over part of my patio. It doesn’t cover the whole place, but a vital part of it. Rain protection is necessary when the weather report says it is going to rain for several days.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The outside sofa is a good place to place as many pots and plants as it can take.  If it doesn’t rain sidewise, they are pretty protected here.

novembercactus

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

There was no place for the November-cactus – which just moved outside the other day – so it stayed on the railing getting all washed and clean by rain water. I know it can take it.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Rain protection. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The containers with the red pelargonias got placed under the table with a cover for chairs over the table.  Two containers got in there and got company by the rosemary pot and two amaryllis that are supposed to be kept dry and rest.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Rain protection. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The third container with red pelargonias and the one with million belles got their own cover, as well as the end part of the two other pelargonia containers. Had a cover for a sunbed that I could use. To keep it form flying away they got some dumbbells as weights. I go out regularly and make the water that collects there go away so the cover doesn’t get too heavy.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Rain protection for the plants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I also used a plastic shower curtain as protection. Behind it is the large tomato-plant, two chili-plants and two olive trees. The upper part of the sun-umbrella has been detached and is protecting the mover.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

One of the chairs were placed on top of another chair to make place on the floor. The klematis did not get any protection as it has started climbing on the wall. The oregano got moved in from its un-protected location to a reasonably dry spot behind the door to the outside which has the neighbor balcony above it.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Rain protection for the plants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

It isn’t pretty… but it protects the plants from drowning.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Rain protection for the plants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Yesterday around noon the rain gauge showed that 30 mm rain had fallen. It is still raining.

raingauge

The rain gauge yesterday. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

This morning it was about 35 mm. It is still raining.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The grill is also under cover. An Ikea bag serves well as cover for the grill. Haven’t used the grill even once yet this year…

Salad peas. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Salad peas. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The salad peas are thriving in the wet weather though and are coming along just fine. The container has holes in the bottom so they will not drown.

honeysuckle

Yellow honeysuckle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The yellow honeysuckle will bloom soon.

honeysuckle

Honeysuckle. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The orange honeysuckle is in bloom, but very wet…

platycodon

Platycodon. Photo ©nini.tjader.2015

The new plant – that I got from cousin Carin and her husband Harold when they visited from California on Wednesday – a Platycodon (Praktklocka in Swedish) – is still inside awaiting better weather for planting. It is a perennial so it can be planted outside.

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

The garden is very wet and will get wetter before the rains stop about tonight (according to the weather report).

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Meanwhile can only keep an eye on it from inside, through the kitchen windows. By the way, the bird feeders are out of nuts. The last ones went this morning. There will be no new peanuts in them until I get them delivered some time next week. The birds are a bit frantic and desperate about the lack of nuts…

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

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Posted by nini in Flowers, Garden and Nature, House plants, Outside, Thoughts, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments

Plantgangs

plantgang

Plantgang in the bedroom window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

If you love and live with plants, you have plantgangs in various locations in your home. Various kinds, sizes and colors of plants. I try to place them for ultimate light-conditions, in groups and at various heights when possible or needed. Apart from that, I don’t do any particular “styling” of them.

It is ultimate light for a particular plant that is the deciding factor. For instance do the Saint Paulas not like direct sunshine. The November cactus in the background does, but it is too wide and big to have closer to the light in the window. That one, by the way, will soon go outside to the patio over the summer. It loves being outside in sun and rain. It propagates its flowering. It is still a bit too cold though to bring it outside. But soon.

plantgang

Plantgang in the kitchen. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In the kitchen I have two windows in the corner. The light comes in from two directions. In the window to the left from the south, in the window to the right from the west. That gives a lot of light and most plants love it here.

plantgang

The southern window. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I don’t use curtains in the kitchen since some years back. In the southern window the framing of the window is taken care of by the now huge green plant that I’ve hung on the curtain-rod. On the windowsill below it there presently are three orchids and a baby aloe. The mother-plant of the aloe is in the corner between the two windows, as is the hanging plant above them. The big aloe got replanted just a few days ago. Remains to be seen if it survived it… Had to get the baby out from the pot. Turns out an aloe has very small roots. Didn’t know that.

Kitchen-plants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Kitchen-plants. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In the western kitchen window I have two of IKEAs hanging planters. On the window sill more orchids and on the table one Saint Paula that I didn’t have enough space for in the bedroom. It used to have white flowers – it now has light blue flowers.

IKEAs hanging planters, which can be hung one under the other, are really nice and useful. In the top one are three plants, in the bottom one four. Just wondering how long I can have them all here. They grow… They both hang on a curtain-rod and I just hope they will not get too heavy for it as they grow bigger. The plants are also bought at Ikea, called Himalaya Mix… whatever that means…

plantgang

Hanging plantgang. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

plantgang

Detail of the corner between the windows. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

In the livingroom window there is absolutely NO styling of plants at the moment. Just a mess of plants waiting to get outside more permanently and kept inside when it it is cold and windy. Plus a few plants that are inside all the time. It is too early for the chili-plants to be outside all the time. The fig tree is also inside so far. This is NOT how it is supposed to look…

plantgang

In the livingroom. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

This time of the year though many plants can be outside both day and night. Problem is when the rain is pouring down and they risk to get drowned… I then keep most of the plantgang on the bench on the patio, which is partly under roof from the balcony of my upstairs neighbor.

plantgang

Plantgang outside. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

Some of the pelargonias are more or less placed where they will stay during the summer. At the top three white pelargonias. One is the mother-plant, the other two are its babies. They are partly protected from the rain by the two large honeysuckles on the corner. They seem to be a good sort that doesn’t get all brown when rained on as most white pelargonias do.

Below them are two other pelargonias. Mårbacka is their name. They get pink flowers. The one to the right is the mother-plant, the one to the left its babies. The babies need a larger pot soon.

plantgang

Pelargonias outside. Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I will present the other plants on the patio to you later on, when the weather improves and everything is in place. It is still early on in the season for the outdoor life.

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Posted by nini in decoration, Flowers, House plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 3 comments

Shortlived beauty

cactus, cactusflowers

Photo: ©nini.tjader.2015

I always was fascinated by cactus plants. Have had several over the years but now I only have three.  All three of them have had flowers this spring. Certain cactus flowers are shortlived beauty. Especially the latest of mine that got them. These ones lasts about a week.

The flower fell off before it opened. It simply became too heavy. I put it into a vase and it opened there a few hours later. It is now on day two, fully opened. It might last until tomorrow. There are presently two more flower buds on it, but it is never sure that they will fully open up. The hairy buds often just dry away. This bud did open, after not having had flowers for several years, and never before since I moved to my present place. Once in my previous place. Enjoy the shortlived beauty of them. I have no idea what kind of cactus this is.

All pictures are ©nini.tjader.2015. You can click a picture to see a larger version of it.

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Posted by nini in Flowers, House plants, Urban Jungle Bloggers, 0 comments